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by Ben Ruegg

Fresh Talent: Destructatron

by Ben Ruegg

Fresh Talent: Destructatron

With the early 2018 release of their prophetically-titled debut EP, ‘Rise Of Destructatron’, five-piece Hamilton djent industrial metal band Destructatron bring their robot to life.

“Our sole purpose is to make music that is fun to headbang to,” says guitarist Tim Ryan.

Vocalist Alan Gregson, guitarists Ryan and Jesse Wheeler, Rob Walker on bass, Nate Walker (drums) and Cory McKenzie (synths/FX), are primed and ready get their music to the masses. Their eight-track EP showcases a band with a lot of experience and a clear vision of what they want to achieve.

“Destructatron is a giant robot that we created,” explains Ryan. “Our music and lyrics focus around this. We made sure our connection to the image is consistent is always there.”

From the opening track it’s evident they are influenced by their own imagery, along with other industrial acts. 

“Nine Inch Nails are are big influence to me, as well as Fear Factory,” he acknowledges. “I brought the whole idea of a sampler into our music which opens up the ability to add all sorts of sound effects that helps to bring Destructatron as a character to life.”

This image, sound and story has been in development for over three years. Having played over 30 live shows in that time, their sound has been getting more refined along with their vision.

“Not only do we explore the story of our robot, but we also look into the idea of artificial intelligence. Our lyrics create the story while the music helps tell it,” Ryan adds.

Each member brings their own set of influences to the group.

“I am heavily into prog-djent and Meshuggah. Nate’s drumming comes from listening to Slayer and Sepultura,” Jesse Wheeler explains. “The thing musically that sets us apart, especially from other djent-ish bands, is the pace and changes we add. We don’t just sit around syncopating to the same tempo or feel, we like to throw in tempo changes and super fast sections to keep it interesting.”

“This is my first time as a metal vocalist,” admits Alan Gregson. “I listen to a lot of rap music though I am inspired by Randy Blythe from Lamb Of God. I get to combine these two things in my writing and performance.”

When asked about their plans for the future, they explain that their goal is to work on an album.

“We hope to expand more in the album and step things up musically and compositionally even further to really have more of a concept album that tells the story we have in our heads.”